Why do that?
Sitting in the ward, Song Xuanhe was still thinking about the question Xiao Yuanmu asked a week ago.
When the truck lights made his eyes go dark for a moment, his mind went blank for a moment, and then he remembered the part when Xiao Yuanmu had a car accident. The author described that part in great detail, from the time to the place, and then to the tragic situation of the car accident. Every word formed a frame of picture, which was played in Song Xuanhe's mind.
In those few seconds, he suddenly thought of Xiao Yuanmu before he was pushed to buy porridge. That was the last time he saw the familiar Xiao Yuanmu. A question that he had never thought about before suddenly appeared in his mind at this moment: If he had a second chance, would he still follow the plot as usual?
He didn't think of the answer, but unconsciously changed the direction of the steering wheel with his hands.
They all avoided death, which is the best answer.
"Brother Song, your apple has no flesh, only core!"
The crisp sound interrupted Song Xuanhe's thoughts. He looked at the bumpy apple in his hand, put down the fruit knife with a guilty conscience, and said to the little girl next to him seriously: "This is for practice, it's not my real level."
The little girl blinked and asked him, "Why do you need to practice before peeling apples? What is your real level? Can you peel apples as well as Brother Yuanmu?"
The old man on the hospital bed interrupted the little girl and said with a smile, "Didn't you say you had a gift for Brother Song? We will be discharged from the hospital soon, why don't you give it to Brother now?"
The little girl suddenly became shy. She slowly climbed up from the bed, then moved little by little to the sofa where a small schoolbag was placed next to her. She took out a painting from the bag and handed it to Song Xuanhe nervously and shyly.
Song Xuanhe ate the apple in a few bites, wiped his hands, took the little girl's painting, and saw a group of dancing stick figures on it. After thinking for a long time, he decided to start from the perspective of childishness and said, "These people...are playing games?"
The little girl blinked, blushed and shook her head.
Song Xuanhe observed carefully again, but he could not find any key information from these stick figures. Thinking that the little girl had just entered the first grade and still had a red scarf around her neck, he asked again: "These stick figures, no, these people are raising the flag? The two in front are the flag-raisers?"
"No way." The little girl puffed up her cheeks and pointed at the two flag-raisers in the front, saying, "This is Brother Song, and this is Brother Yuanmu. This is your wedding! The others are celebrating for you."
The smile on Song Xuanhe's face froze, but under the innocent gaze of the little girl, he could only laugh dryly twice, and then said in an even drier voice: "Marriage?"
"Yes, I hope Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu can get married soon!" The little girl had a clear voice, sparkling eyes, and her face was full of sincere expectations.
The door of the ward was pushed open at this moment, and Xiao Yuanmu walked in. He didn't seem to hear what the little girl said, and said lightly: "The procedures are all done, grandma, we can leave after we pack up."
Seeing Xiao Yuanmu's gaze sweeping over here, Song Xuanhe felt that the painting in his hand seemed a little hot. He moved his body quietly to block Xiao Yuanmu's sight, and was glad that the children in the orphanage were very afraid of Xiao Yuanmu and generally would not take the initiative to talk to him.
However, the little girl did stop talking, but Xiao Yuanmu came over and asked casually when he saw the painting in his hand, "What is this?"
"This is a gift from Yuanyuan to Xiaosong." The dean said with a smile, "We have packed everything, let's go now."
Xiao Yuanmu didn't ask any more questions and carefully supported the dean and walked in front.
Song Xuanhe, who was holding Yuanyuan's hand, walked behind. Looking at Xiao Yuanmu who was bending over and supporting the dean in front of him, he felt a complicated feeling.
A week ago, Song Xuanhe was a little surprised when he saw Xiao Yuanmu restrain the coldness around him, getting along with the dean like an ordinary grandparent and grandson, and taking care of the dean personally. After a week, he gradually realized how important the dean was in Xiao Yuanmu's heart.
In the book, the dean should have died at this time, and Xiao Yuanmu had left the imperial capital to develop in Hai City. But now the dean has recovered, and Xiao Yuanmu was not forced to leave his hometown due to the situation. The plot has changed, and the originally clear development has become blurred.
Song Xuanhe didn't know whether this was good or bad for him, but at least he didn't do anything that would make him regret.
After sending the director and Yuanyuan back to the welfare home, the director took Song Xuanhe's hand and asked him to stay for dinner. After a week of getting along, she liked this young man, who had made a good impression on her before, even more.
A few days ago, she saw Xiao Yuanmu was always alone, so she casually mentioned that she hadn't seen Song Xuanhe for a long time. She wanted to ask about the relationship between Xiao Yuanmu and Song Xuanhe. Unexpectedly, Song Xuanhe came to see her the next day, and then for several days in a row, he would come over whenever he had time.
Thinking about how Song Xuanhe had been doing what he could to help despite not being good at it this week, and how the children in the welfare home liked him very much, the director was very satisfied. Most importantly, she could feel that Song Xuanhe was different to Xiao Yuanmu.
The dean thought that the two children were too shy. They did not show any affectionate attitude between lovers in front of her, and they even communicated very little. It was Yuanmu who was too cold, causing Xiao Song, who was originally a cheerful and lively child, to become much more restrained.
"Yuanmu, Xiao Song hasn't been to your room yet, right? Take him to see me. I'll call you for dinner later." The dean said with a smile.
"No need, Dean." Song Xuanhe grabbed Yuanyuan who wanted to run in to find her friends and said, "Yuanyuan just asked me to play with her, Yuanyuan, right?"
Yuanyuan frowned and looked at Song Xuanhe. She had never said this. Could it be that Brother Song remembered it wrongly?
"Brother Song, Yuanyuan didn't..."
"Yes." Song Xuanhe said firmly: "When you gave me the painting just now, you asked me to play with you. Did you forget?"
Yuanyuan opened her eyes wide, she thought she might have remembered it wrongly, she nodded dazedly: "I think I asked Brother Song to play with me."
"Yuanyuan went to the hospital after school today and hasn't finished her homework yet." The dean said, "We'll have dinner soon. Yuanyuan, you can't let Brother Song play with you. You have to finish your homework first."
"Yes, I still have a page of math problems to do." Yuanyuan nodded again, looked at Song Xuanhe with some entanglement and said: "Brother Song, I can't play with you today. I have to do my homework. You and Brother Yuanmu..."
"Brother will teach you how to do your homework." Song Xuanhe said with a smile, "Brother is very good at drawing. After I finish teaching you how to do your homework, I can also teach you how to draw."
Yuanyuan's eyes lit up and she turned to look at the dean.
The dean looked at Xiao Yuanmu, who had not spoken a word from beginning to end, and sighed inwardly, saying, "Then let Brother Yuanmu and Brother Song teach you to do your homework together, and then have dinner after you finish it."
Yuanyuan's happy expression turned into nervousness again. All the children in the orphanage were a little afraid of Xiao Yuanmu, and she was no exception.
She shrank to the side of the dean: "I can write it myself. Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu go to visit the room together. Yuanyuan will not disturb Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu's date."
Unexpectedly, his teammates would betray him so quickly. Song Xuanhe wanted to struggle, but Xiao Yuanmu grabbed his hand and said to the dean, "I'll take him to my room. Grandma, you go back and rest for a while."
The director's smile became even kinder. She looked at the two people holding hands and nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, okay, grandma will go to rest. You can take Xiao Song to visit slowly and show him your childhood photos. There is no need to rush to eat."
Xiao Yuanmu's tone was gentle: "Okay."
The dean took Yuanyuan away, and Xiao Yuanmu also took Song Xuanhe to his room.
Song Xuanhe originally wanted to find an excuse to slip away, but after seeing this room, which looked so simple and poor no matter which world it was in for him, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Xiao Yuanmu let go of Song Xuanhe's hand and walked in by himself. He was tall and slender, and his appearance in this room that was probably less than five square meters made the space even more cramped.
Probably all creatures will unconsciously reveal an unguarded expression after arriving at their nest where they can sleep soundly and peacefully. Xiao Yuanmu was the same. The expression on his face at this moment was soft, quiet, and relaxed, which Song Xuanhe had never seen before.
He walked to the old-style window that needed to be unlocked and pushed open, and opened the two glass windows in the wooden frame. Outside the window, tall and dense old trees stretched out their branches, and they were green even in late autumn. The natural light from outside the window poured in, and the small room became visually brighter and more spacious.
Xiao Yuanmu picked up a book that was still open on the table, turned his head and looked at Song Xuanhe who was standing at the door: "You have probably never seen such a small room."
Song Xuanhe didn't say anything, but nodded.
He had indeed never seen such a small room. Even when he was living in the most difficult times, he had never suffered any material hardship. However, from the moment his mother passed away, there had never been a house or a room that could make him show such a gentle expression with a hint of attachment as Xiao Yuanmu did.
Because, no place is his home. Whether it is this world or the world he wants to return to.
"This is my favorite book." Xiao Yuanmu lowered his eyes and looked at the book in his hand, with the corners of his mouth slightly curved. His clear tone was softer than Song Xuanhe had ever heard: "It is also the only birthday present I have ever received."
Song Xuanhe's gaze involuntarily fell on the book in Xiao Yuanmu's hand, whose pages had turned yellow. Even though it was not far away, he could not see the contents of the book clearly due to the perspective. He could only tell from the colorful title page that it was probably not a classic.
Noticing Song Xuanhe's gaze, Xiao Yuanmu reached out and handed the book over. The distance between him and Song Xuanhe, who was standing at the door, was only a single bed. Song Xuanhe, who was standing at the door, only needed to take a step forward to get the book.
Song Xuanhe did not take the book directly, but looked up at Xiao Yuanmu in front of the window. It was already dusk, and the soft sunlight behind him blurred the cold and sharp aura around him. The smile on the corner of his mouth made him feel warm, as if he was approachable and within reach.
He looked at Xiao Yuanmu in a daze, and only then did he suddenly realize a very obvious fact that he had denied before - Xiao Yuanmu before rebirth and Xiao Yuanmu after rebirth have always been the same person.
It was he who distinguished them subjectively, and used the descriptions in the book to observe and think about Xiao Yuanmu after his rebirth, and then he subjectively came to the conclusion that Xiao Yuanmu was now full of hatred, cold-blooded, cruel, and gloomy.
It was obvious that the Xiao Yuanmu in front of him had once gotten along with Song Xuanhe in the book, but after being reborn into this world, he did not hurt or retaliate against him immediately. Instead, he chose to observe and think about the differences between him and the original owner. However, the moment he knew that Xiao Yuanmu had been reborn here from the world in the book, he already made a one-sided conclusion about him in his heart.
That's not fair.
Xiao Yuanmu saw his own image imprinted in Song Xuanhe's clear eyes, and he didn't know what he was thinking. He also saw the change in his expression, and after he came to his senses, a lot of resistance suddenly disappeared from his eyes when he looked at him.
Could it be that... Song Xuanhe felt that he had a miserable childhood, so he suddenly sympathized with him now?
Xiao Yuanmu raised his eyebrows, his smile deepened, and he waved the book in his hand. Seeing Song Xuanhe looking over, he restrained his smile and whispered, "Although this book was donated to the welfare home and was not a birthday gift for me alone, it was given to us on my birthday, so... I regard this book as my gift."
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips and frowned unconsciously. After taking the book from him, the first thing he saw was the curled corner of the book. He looked up and asked, "Do you read this book often?"
"Yeah." Xiao Yuanmu said calmly, "This is the only extracurricular book that belongs to me."
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips even tighter. He looked at the book and was about to say something. But when he saw the contents of the book, his expression suddenly became a little strange. After a while, he hesitated and said, "You... like this book very much?"
Xiao Yuanmu's eyes swept over the book in his hand and he hummed without changing his expression.
Song Xuanhe looked at the illustrations in the book, coughed, and asked, "Which story do you like best?"
“That’s what you see now.”
Song Xuanhe looked at the mermaid sitting on the reef in the illustration, and the name of the story on the side of the page - The Little Mermaid.
"I... I also liked storybooks and cartoons when I was a kid." Song Xuanhe couldn't help laughing twice. Facing Xiao Yuanmu's rare non-cold gaze, he lowered his voice: "I like Buzz Lightyear..."
"Is the painting in your hand given to you by Yuanyuan?"
Suddenly, Xiao Yuanmu changed the subject.
Song Xuanhe's hand holding the storybook froze. She looked at the painting under the storybook and stuffed it under the book to cover it up. She said, "Yes, she just drew a picture to thank me for visiting the dean and playing with her these few days."
Xiao Yuanmu's eyes fell on the painting and asked, "Can you show it to me?"
"It doesn't seem good." Seeing that Xiao Yuanmu's eyes did not move away from the painting, Song Xuanhe suddenly had an idea and made up a story: "Actually, Yuanyuan suddenly had an inspiration when she was raising the flag this morning. She was particularly envious of the flag-raiser on the stage, so she drew this picture. She said that she also wanted to be on the stage to raise the flag in the future. This painting hides her dream. I don't think it's good for anyone to see it casually."
"Is that so?" Xiao Yuanmu seemed to believe it. He looked away and said, "Grandma asked me to introduce the room to you. Let me tell you about it."
Seeing Xiao Yuanmu's expression soften again, Song Xuanhe nodded slightly.
Xiao Yuanmu looked around and introduced many things in this small room.
Every piece of furniture and every decoration here seemed to have special emotions in Xiao Yuanmu's eyes. When he narrated, his clear voice was like the trickling of a stream in the summer evening, and every word carried a subtle warmth that penetrated people's hearts.
By the time he took out the album, the setting sun outside the window was only left with its afterglow, casting long shadows in the dim room. The young people sitting together put their heads together, carefully looking at the already blurry photos.
At the moment when the sunlight finally disappeared, Xiao Yuanmu closed the photo album. He looked at Song Xuanhe, who also raised his head, through the dim light. They were both startled and then looked away at the same time.
The room fell silent, and the sound of children's laughter outside was particularly obvious.
Xiao Yuanmu suddenly asked: "I noticed that you seem to be very afraid of me, why?"
Song Xuanhe's eyelashes trembled, and he raised his chin to look at the branches outside the window and denied: "Why should I be afraid of you?"
"Really?" Xiao Yuanmu said this in a low voice with an ambiguous tone, then stood up and said, "Let's go, we should be ready for dinner now."
The two of them walked out of the room one after the other. Yuanyuan, who had been playing for a long time before coming to call for help, ran over and bumped into Song Xuanhe's arms.
Xiao Yuanmu held Song Xuanhe's shoulders, lowered his eyes to look at the little girl holding him, and said in a cold voice: "Don't run around."
Yuanyuan pouted a little aggrieved, but she didn't dare to talk back to Xiao Yuanmu, so she let go of Song Xuanhe, took his hand consciously, and said, "Brother Song, Brother Yuanmu, the dean asked me to ask you to have dinner together."
Song Xuanhe nodded and asked casually, "Have you finished your homework?"
"I've finished it." Yuanyuan led her and skipped in front of her, smiling cheerfully, "The homework is very simple. I'll finish it in a short while. That's why the director asked me to come and call you."
Xiao Yuanmu looked at the two people holding hands in front of him and interrupted calmly: "Then why did you come so late?"
Yuanyuan paused in her bouncing steps, and said timidly and guiltily, "Because, because when I came to call you just now, I found that the food was not yet fully prepared, so I wanted to wait until the food was fully prepared before calling you."
"I'm not playing around." Yuanyuan pulled Song Xuanhe's hand and looked up at him: "Brother Song, are you hungry?"
"I'm not hungry." Song Xuan, who was already a little hungry when looking at the photo album just now, lied without blinking: "It's right to call us after all the dishes are served."
Yuanyuan was relieved then, and she took Song Xuan's hand and went to the cafeteria happily.
At this time, most of the children had finished their meals. Sitting at the small table in the cafeteria were the dean and other teachers who had just finished their work. When they saw Song Xuan and the others coming over, the dean waved and said, "I asked you to come a long time ago. Why are you here so late? The food is cold."
After Xiao Yuanmu and Song Xuanhe sat down, she handed them the prepared meal and scolded Xiao Yuanmu, "Xiao Song doesn't know the dinner time in the courtyard. Don't you know? It's so late, Xiao Song must be hungry."
"He's not hungry."
The dean and other teachers looked at Xiao Yuanmu at the same time, only to see him say calmly: "He just said it himself."
"I... am really not hungry." Song Xuanhe looked away from the food on the table and said to the dean with a smile, "Dean, you don't have to serve me so much food. I am not that hungry now."
The dean shook his head when he heard this: "Young men of your age must have a big appetite. What should you do if you don't eat so much food? Just eat it first, and we'll come back later if you can't finish it."
Song Xuanhe was about to nod when he heard Yuanyuan, who was sitting next to him, say, "Brother Song, Yuanyuan is hungry. Give the food you can't eat to Yuanyuan."
Song Xuanhe: …
Song Xuanhe smiled and moved the rice in the bowl into some round shapes, saying, "Eat more."
The dean looked at Song Xuanhe and Yuanyuan getting along harmoniously, and smiled even more. He said, "Eat quickly, and add more if it's not enough later."
Song Xuanhe had just said that he was not hungry, so of course he would not add more food. So it didn't take long for him to finish the little rice in his bowl. Then he looked at Xiao Yuanmu who was still eating slowly, and Yuanyuan who was eating with relish.
Yuanyuan raised her face from the bowl and said with a smile, "Brother Song, have you finished eating? I'll play with you when I'm done too."
My brother doesn’t want to play, he just wants to eat some more food.
Song Xuanhe smiled and shook his head, "I will leave after we finish eating. I will play with you next time I see you."
Yuanyuan nodded somewhat disappointedly, but still said sensibly: "Then Brother Song will play with Yuanyuan next time."
Xiao Yuanmu had also finished his meal at this time. He wiped his mouth and saw Yuanyuan who was still eating. He seemed to just say casually: "Yuanyuan, the painting you gave to Brother Song this afternoon is very good."
Yuanyuan raised her head and looked at Xiao Yuanmu, who was praising her, in disbelief. After seeing that it was really what he said, she smiled widely and said, "That's what I gave to Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu. When you get married, Yuanyuan will draw another one for you."
Song Xuanhe: "Yuanyuan, don't talk while eating, be careful not to choke."
Yuanyuan said "oh" obediently and continued eating.
However, Xiao Yuanmu seemed a little confused and asked, "Draw another one after the wedding?"
"What I drew is Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu getting married." Xiao Yuanmu had just praised her, and Yuanyuan was no longer afraid of him. She smiled sweetly and said, "It would be great if Brother Song and Brother Yuanmu could really get married."
Xiao Yuanmu: "It's not about raising the flag..."
Song Xuan and Huo stood up and said goodbye to the dean: "Since we have finished eating, we will leave first."
The director looked at them with a smile and sent them to the door of the welfare home.
On the way back, Xiao Yuanmu looked at Song Xuanhe thoughtfully. Song Xuanhe kept looking forward. Thinking of the embarrassment of being exposed by Xiao Yuanmu just now, he asked in a very bad tone: "You keep looking at me, what do you want to say?"
Xiao Yuanmu raised his lips slightly and said, "I want to ask you..."
Song Xuanhe interrupted him first: "I don't want to answer."
"I want to ask if you didn't have enough for dinner. I'll go back and make you a bowl of noodles." Xiao Yuanmu said calmly, "If you don't want to eat, forget it."
Thinking that he hadn't eaten the tomato and egg noodles cooked by Xiao Yuanmu for nearly two months, Song Xuanhe, who was always flexible in front of delicious food, said quickly: "I want to eat."
The author has something to say: Xiao Yuanmu: If you don’t want to eat me, forget it.
Song Xuanhe: I want to eat!
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